Opportunities For Empowerment Research Articles

Barriers and opportunities of empowerment as applied in diabetes settings: A focus on health care professionals’ experiences

This exploratory study examines the opportunities and barriers health care professionals (HCPs) working with diabetes patients face when they try to implement the rhetoric of patient empowerment in practice. A small sample of diabetes HCPs (N=13), from National Health Service (NHS) hospital, walk-in and general practitioner (GP) clinics in South-East England, was interviewed through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The analysis showed that empowerment was seen as beneficial for patients and HCPs. Time and resources could be moved from successfully empowered patients and focussed on more complex patients, this was termed ‘selective empowerment’. The main barriers to empowerment were identified as a lack of resources, time and HCPs trained in empowerment techniques. Empowerment is a popular concept in theory, and presents HCPs with several opportunities but also important barriers in its practical, clinical implementation day-to-day.

The making of ‘valuable’ carpets in Lhasa

Much of the ethnic art literature investigates how consumers define the value of ethnic cultural commodities and how consumer demand affects production processes. By revealing how Tibetan carpets became valuable in contemporary Lhasa, this article contributes to an emerging literature that critically examines the roles played by ethnic art producers themselves in the politics of value. Further, this article contributes to the Tibetan Cultural Studies literature by tracing the continuities and changes in the Lhasa carpet industry from the early 20th century to the early 21st century. The author’s analysis focuses on three chains of events: (1) the establishment of a carpet workshop by the Tibetan Government; (2) the formation of the first socialist carpet factory; and (3) the entry of international business ventures into the Lhasa carpet industry. She discusses the forms and scale of the struggles over the making of ‘valuable’ carpets, the roles played by Tibetan officials and overseas businessmen in the politics of value under different political–economic regimes, and the ways in which such politics not only presented challenges for Tibetan artisans, but also offered opportunities for empowerment.

Research on Developmental Care

Developmental care for premature infants was introduced by Dr. Heidi Als more than 20 years ago, and has become an accepted standard of care. Research into developmental care has shown some benefits in neonatal outcomes, but there is no standard definition of developmental care, and its practice can vary widely across different neonatal units. Dr. Bernadette Melnyk developed a program entitled “Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment” (COPE) to help parents of premature infants learn about the common appearance and behaviors of these infants, and about developmentally appropriate parenting skills. COPE has helped to reduce parental anxiety and stress and to improve outcomes for premature infants.

Transition to a new cancer care delivery system: opportunity for empowerment of the role of the advanced practice provider.

The purpose of the study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of advanced practice providers (APPs) with respect to their current roles in the context of the transition to a new cancer care delivery system, as well as factors that may influence their ability to practice at their level of training and education. Five focus groups were conducted with 15 APPs (11 nurse practitioners, 4 physician assistants). Data were collected by a recorder at each focus group. Four investigators reviewed the data from each group for accuracy and to generate an initial set of codes. Codes were compared across reviewers until consensus was reached and final themes were agreed upon. The mean age of the participants was 43.5 years (range: 27 to 63 years). The APPs practiced for an average of 11 years (range: 1 to 27 years), with a mean of 6.5 years in oncology (range: 1 to 11 years). Six themes were generated from the data related to the APP role during the transition to a new oncology care system: experiencing role tension, facing communication barriers, seeking mentorship, dealing with fragmented care, recognizing the need for professional growth, and navigating a new system. Our findings may inform administrators about the role of the APP in quality care delivery. These findings may empower APPs to practice to the full scope of their training and educational preparation, thereby facilitating their goals for professional development.

Safe city free of violence against women and girls is a safe city for everyone Egypt’s experience

Setting the Scene Peaceful participation in the region, to demand political change, has deep social impact and opens up dramatic opportunities for gender empowerment and the advancement of social justice. The fact that women have been equal participants in this moment of vibrant, spontaneous and mass citizen action to demand political change is really something. Forgetting the needs and demands, the participation in the decision making process might also be the other fact that women’s agenda ...

Role of Information Technology in Women Empowerment

This article explores the role of information Technology in women empowerment. India has become a dominant player in the information technology industry globally. In the past decades industrial scenario in India was dominated by agriculture and manufacturing sector growth. But in the last 10 years especially after 1995 information technology industry has started contributing significantly in economic growth of India. Information Technology now is a robust industry worth $60 billion. Information Technology industry is unique with regard to participation of women in the workforce. Every second fresh recruit in IT industry now is a woman. E-governance initiative of government has also opened an opportunity for women empowerment by increasing access to information for women. IT provides access to same information to women as it is available to men. This information flow is uncensored and without any distortions. The major players in IT industry are now offering an environment that will retain the talented women workforce. To develop women friendly work environment leading companies are now offering benefits like lactation centers, extra maternity leave, work from home policies, creches, and option to relocate to city of their choice in case of transfer of the husband. Not just a good human resource practice, but it has become a matter of survival for companies facing talent crunch. Gender diversity has become a business need. Educated Women have had significant breakthrough by breaking the traditional household, child rearing, socially oppressed life style, because of access to IT. IT reduces the impact of barriers of time and distance in organizing and managing the service delivery of businesses. A large part of jobs outsourced are going to women. The freedom to work from anywhere and anytime can become a catalyst for financial independence and empowerment of women by enhancing their extra income. According to a report released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), since 2004-05, women internet users increased from 28% in 2004-05 to 32% in 2005-06 [12.32 million]. India shop, an e-commerce website in Tamilnadu, has been designed to sell products made by rural women‟s co-operatives and NGOs. The Dhan Foundation and Swayam Krishi Sangam are using ICTs such as handheld devices and smart cards, to improve microfinance projects to empower poor women since 2004. Anita Borg Institute of Women and Technology is the outcome of her sustained efforts which was founded in the year of 1997. She demonstrated the risk taking ability of women .Women entrepreneurs like Sarada Ramani of Computer International, Sangeeta Patni of Extensio Software, are setting the trend of entrepreneurship which will foster a new era of women empowerment, where women will get financial independence, respect, honor, and self actualization that they deserve. The article discusses the strengths, opportunities of information technology and the role it can play for women empowerment.

The Photographed Other: Interplays of Agency in Tourist Photography in Cusco, Peru

This paper unpacks the interplays of agency that emerge as locals are photographed by tourists. It explores the larger forces that constrain photographic performances within dominant western mythologies of the exotic Other. In unpacking the seemingly fleeting moments of photographic encounters, it contends tourist photography does not merely perpetuate spaces of exclusion through dependency and disempowerment, but mobilises spaces of empowerment, independence and self-determination within local communities. In exploring such issues, the paper addresses: the complexities of agency and power within tourist photography, the opportunities for empowerment through self-directed performances, the potential of photographic encounters to mobilise fleeting moments of togetherness and social exchange, and the opportunities tourist photography affords in reigniting and reinforcing the cultural identity of local communities.

Resources for the Development of Social Enterprises: An Analysis from the 'Donne & Lavoro' Contest

Euricse participated in the “Progetto Donne Lavoro” (Women and Work Project) launched by the magazine Donna Moderna and the Vodafone Foundation Italy. The objective of the contest was to reward a female social enterprise offering an opportunity for empowerment and social promotion through work. Euricse, in addition to offering technical assistance on the topic of social enterprise, was also a member of the scientific and evaluation committee. In April 2011, the winners were announced in three different fields, each of which was awarded 100.000 Euros for their enterprise.

COPE for the Treatment of Depressed Adolescents

Despite a U.S. prevalence of 9%, less than 25% of depressed adolescents receive evidence-based treatment. To describe lessons learned from implementing the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) program in a community mental health practice as part of an evidence-based practice change to improve an advanced practice psychiatric nurse's clinical practice and provide treatment for depressed teens. A preexperimental one-group pre- and posttest design was used to assess the feasibility and effects of a brief manualized seven-session cognitive-behavioral skills-building intervention titled COPE delivered to 15 depressed adolescents in routine 30-minute mental health medication management outpatient visits. Applying the evidence-based practice model led to improved adolescent outcomes. Adolescents reported significant decreases in depression, anxiety, anger, and destructive behavior as well as increases in self-concept and personal beliefs about managing negative emotions. Challenges (limited organizational resources) needed to be addressed to implement the advanced practice psychiatric nurse's evidence-based practice change. COPE is a promising brief cognitive-behavioral therapy-based intervention that can be delivered within 30-minute individual outpatient visits. With this intervention, advanced practice nurses can work with current practice limitations and still provide evidence-based treatment for depressed teens. Collaboration between research-focused and clinically based nursing colleagues is a model of clinical scholarship that holds great promise in bridging the gap between research and practice.

The Brief Cognitive-Behavioral COPE Intervention for Depressed Adolescents: Outcomes and Feasibility of Delivery in 30-Minute Outpatient Visits

Despite a U.S. prevalence of 9%, less than 25% of depressed adolescents receive treatment because of time constraints in clinical practice and lack of mental health providers available to deliver it. To assess the feasibility and effects of a brief manualized seven-session cognitive-behavioral skills building intervention entitled COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) delivered to 15 depressed adolescents in routine 30-minute mental health medication management outpatient visits. A preexperimental one group pre- and posttest design was used. Adolescents reported significant decreases in depression, anxiety, anger, and destructive behavior as well as increases in self-concept and personal beliefs about managing negative emotions. Evaluations indicated that COPE was a positive experience for teens and parents. COPE is a promising brief cognitive-behavior therapy-based intervention that can be delivered within 30-minute individual outpatient visits. With this intervention, advanced practice nurses can work with practice time limitations and still provide evidence-based treatment for depressed teens.

The role of food gardens in empowering women: A study of Makotse Women’s Club in Limpopo

The article explores the role that food gardens can play in contributing to the empowerment of rural South African women. The goal of the study was to focus on likely other benefits - beyond economic advantages - realised by women who participate in the food gardens project. The study was essentially descriptive and qualitative in nature, and focused on a group of women working on a food gardens project in rural Limpopo. Through extensive fieldwork comprising observation and interviews, data were collected on the women’s biographical characteristics, their knowledge of HIV and AIDS, their perceptions of women’s roles, and their experiences of working in the food gardens. Findings indicate that the women gained knowledge and skills at the project that helped them earn a modest income and become more knowledgeable about such issues as HIV and AIDS. Participation in the food gardens encouraged a sense of community, self-worth and indeed a sense of belonging. Although many of the women still found it difficult to deal with issues such as male power and HIV-testing, participation validated their experiences and promoted positive self-perception. They felt able to talk about sex and condom use with their husbands and male partners. The experience offered them opportunities for empowerment via the development of agricultural skills, gaining acceptance amongst peers, building confidence in speaking out and starting to define collective goals.

Tourism based Black Economic Empowerment [BEE]: Initiatives for local community development

The South African government through a variety of tourism policies and strategies has tried to utilise the Black economic empowerment [BEE] initiative to improve economic benefits for the previously disadvantaged communities. This is to bear in mind that the BEE initiative has been criticised in that “transformation has come to represent a way of compensating previously disadvantaged people, rather than creating opportunities for all citizens to contribute their talents and energies to the process of developing our country” (Ramphele, 2008: 265). This paper aims at discussing the viewpoints, practicalities and challenges of the tourism related BEE initiatives towards achieving community empowerment and development in KwaZulu-Natal. It also focuses on identifying tourism business opportunities available to the previously neglected communities and social groups. Some of the more specific objectives are: (a) To reveal the extent to which Black people are aware of tourism based BEE opportunities. (b) To establish the levels of tourism stakeholder participation in the BEE initiatives within the study area. (c) To investigate whether the BEE policy is perceived as contributing adequately to tourism entrepreneurship in the study area. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will reflect outcomes that represent the true nature of Black economic empowerment opportunities in the area. It was established that the implementation of BEE policies was not adequately stimulating tourism development, and needed the introduction of a new tourism strategy for entrepreneurial development. Keywords: Black economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, tourism, tourism development, community development, previously disadvantaged communities, stakeholder, strategy, perception.

Eradicating Ignorance: A Gendered Literacy Campaign

The Israeli adult literacy campaign, Operation Eradicate Ignorance ( Hamivtza lebi'ur haba'arut , 1964-1976), brought together two groups of women from different cultural backgrounds and education. This paper analyzes recollections of participants, collected in 2005-2008, in an attempt to evaluate the consequences of this cross-cultural gendered encounter. Data suggest that the confrontation between traditional female multitasking and modern skills led to opportunities for mutual learning and empowerment.

The Case for mLegal (Innovations Case Narrative:mLegal)

or starting a business, chances are the law has something to say about it. And yet, the majority of the world never gets to hear it. According to a 2008 United Nations report, four billion people worldwide lack meaningful access to the rule of law, and almost 60 percent of the world’s population is excluded from the institutions and services that govern them. When legal systems fail to reach the majority of the world’s population, it leaves a gaping hole in fundamental governance. This legal divide marginalizes people, communities, and institutions that are unable to engage with even the most basic government services. As a result, billions of businesses, homes, and crimes exist outside the purview of government protections. The UN estimates that in some places, these informal or “shadow” transactions represent as much as 90 percent of business. Perhaps more concerning is that this is most prevalent among those who need legal safeguards the most. Remote and poor communities, traditionally the people most vulnerable to abuse and exclusion, face additional obstacles to justice. Distance, education, and cost present often insurmountable challenges to accessing institutions or basic services. The increasing cost of legal services has forced these people to rely on overwhelmed publicly supported legal aid, public defense, or administrative service providers. These legal services, where they exist, are increasingly being cut or drastically altered due to budget reforms. Even in comparatively effective legal systems, a shortage of resources within publicly supported legal services results in the functional exclusion of large swaths of most populations. The international community is candid about the fact that after decades of programming and billions of dollars, the rule of law has yet to reach the bottom of the pyramid. As a result, the poor remain unable to defend their rights, livelihoods, homes, and families. These populations, however, also present the greatest opportunities for growth, empowerment, and inclusion. Mobile phones are empowering rural and

Intermediaries and informal interactions in decentralised environmental management in peri-urban Bangkok

Juxtaposition of urban and agricultural land uses in peri-urban areas results in intense and severe ecological problems, especially degradation of water in irrigation canals. In these areas, devolution has also been implemented, a process already saddled, as it were, with problems of low local capacity and susceptibility to elite capture. Overlaying of the devolution initiative on the complex ecological tensions in peri-urban areas has rendered devolved, formal environmental management functions problematic and created spaces susceptible to the various influences of non-state social actors. These spaces may result in local elite capture. On the other hand, they can create opportunities for meaningful grassroots community's empowerment to strengthen resident' claim to a clean environment vis-a-vis polluting industries through active engagement. Within this formal devolution process, informal transactions and the role of intermediaries are ubiquitous and critical in determining outcomes. Two case studies in...

The Boomerangs Parenting Program for Aboriginal Parents and Their Young Children

Using three case studies, this paper describes the development and evaluation of 'The Boomerangs Aboriginal Circle of Security Parenting Camp Program', which is a clinical intervention based on an attachment framework using the Circle of Security and Marte Meo, and drawing on traditional Aboriginal culture. Three mothers from an Aboriginal Australian background with preschool age children attended the 20-session Boomerangs Program, including an initial camp and a second camp after 6 weeks. The camp provided the opportunity for parent empowerment and to explore the strengths and resources of the mother to facilitate better mother-child interactions and relationship, in a naturalistic setting. All three mothers gave positive feedback on the program in increasing the awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness of their interactions with their children, and this was reflected in the results of the questionnaires and observation of the mother-child interactions during play. This program offers the first ever evaluation of an intense parenting program using camps for Aboriginal Australians. This study is to be considered as an exploratory exercise - a first step in a process of exploring applicability and adapting parenting camps for Aboriginal families.

Empowerment or Reconstituted Subordination? Dynamics of Gender Identities in the Lives of Professional African Migrant Women in South Africa

This article examines the ways in which the migration of African professional women from Cameroon, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Congo into South Africa in pursuit of empowerment opportunities is affecting power relations in the family and the implications of their new social and economic responsibilities on their gender identities. Using a qualitative approach, we examine the incongruities in these women's lives as they walk the tightrope of balancing between exercising their autonomy buttressed by their professional qualifications and economic independence, on the one hand, and the requirement to submit to traditional gender roles that are grounded in the ancient precedents of patriarchal domination and religion. This article argues for confronting ideological, socio-cultural as well as the material basis of African women's subordination to men and aspiring for their empowerment that encompasses both the economic as well as the socio-cultural realms.

The gendered dimensions of bushfire in changing rural landscapes in Australia

This paper examines gender differences in awareness, preparedness and attitudes towards bushfire amongst landholders in rural landscapes affected by amenity-led in-migration in southeast Australia. It considers the potential of conceptualising bushfire not as a gender-neutral natural phenomenon but as an important means by which traditional gender roles and power relations within rural landscapes are maintained. Landholders were found to uphold conventional views of bushfire management as “men’s business” despite changing social circumstances. Consequently, key gender differences exist within landholders’ bushfire risk awareness, bushfire knowledge, the perceived need for bushfire preparedness measures, the willingness to perform certain tasks, and the belief in personal capacity to act. We argue that covert and less visible as well as overt gender roles and traditions are important factors in understanding landholders’ engagement with bushfire management. When gendered dimensions of bushfire are investigated in the context of hegemony, a paradox emerges between women choosing not to take control of their own bushfire safety and women being denied the opportunity to take control. The complex and contradictory actions and attitudes to bushfire that materialise through an analysis of gendered social experiences complicate attempts to create more gender-sensitive frameworks for bushfire management. The tenacious and embedded nature of gender role divisions within both public and private spheres was furthermore found to act as economic, social and political stumbling blocks for empowerment opportunities. Using a mixed-methods research approach, this paper maps out gendered dimensions of bushfire through landholders’ narratives and actions. The implications of these dimensions for bushfire management have direct relevance to recent international discussions of the vulnerability of the growing number of people living in bushfire-prone rural–urban interface areas.

What can be expected of information and communication technologies in terms of patient empowerment in health?

Implementing information and communication technologies (ICT) is often mentioned as a strategy that can foster public involvement and responsibility in health. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the possibilities and issues afforded by the social uses of ICT for personal empowerment in health. The paper discusses evidence from four case studies that characterize current computerization and networking processes in health. The studies shared a global framework comprising four interpretative paradigms of personal empowerment: the professional, technocratic, consumerist and democratic paradigms. The results show the coexistence of four empowerment logics in ICT use. Two trends proved dominant: a strengthening of the control and standardization processes tied to the typical power relationships in health, and a reinforcement of personal autonomy and self-assertion processes, either through commercial relationships or through the social relationships that are also present. The paper supports the argument that in order to understand the opportunities for personal empowerment offered by ICT the logic underlying user practices in their respective contexts must be examined. The paper uses data from four case studies to illustrate the contradictory logics shaping the personal empowerment process. Under these logics, an ICT user may play roles as patient, client, consumer, or citizen.

Third-Wave Feminism and the Defense of “Choice”

How should feminist theorists respond when women who claim to be feminists make “choices” that seemingly prop up patriarchy, like posing for Playboy, eroticizing male dominance, or advocating wifely submission? This article argues that the conflict between the quest for gender equality and the desire for sexual pleasure has long been a challenge for feminism. In fact, the second-wave of the American feminist movement split over issues related to sexuality. Feminists found themselves on opposite sides of a series of contentious debates about issues such as pornography, sex work, and heterosexuality, with one side seeing evidence of gender oppression and the other opportunities for sexual pleasure and empowerment. Since the mid-1990s, however, a third wave of feminism has developed that seeks to reunite the ideals of gender equality and sexual freedom. Inclusive, pluralistic, and non-judgmental, third-wave feminism respects the right of women to decide for themselves how to negotiate the often contradictory desires for both gender equality and sexual pleasure. While this approach is sometimes caricatured as uncritically endorsing whatever a woman chooses to do as feminist, this essay argues that third-wave feminism actually exhibits not a thoughtless endorsement of “choice,” but rather a deep respect for pluralism and self-determination.